College of Education and Psychology

Certifications

In the State of Texas, certification is carried out by a certifying entity in conjunction
with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the State Board for Educator Certification
(SBEC). The certifying entity, e.g., The University of Texas at Tyler, recommends
an individual for a certificate, and TEA processes the candidate and grants the certificate.
Specific information about Texas teaching certificates is available at the TEA website.

The University of Texas at Tyler offers three types of certificates: initial teaching
certificates, advanced professional certificates and probationary certificates.

Initial Certification

Standard initial certificates are available at the following levels:

Grades EC-6

Grades 4-8

Grades 7-12

Grades EC-12

To be eligible for certification, the candidates must:

Complete the minimum of a bachelor's degree with no grade less than a "C" and a GPA
of at least 2.5.

Complete an educator preparation program through an approved entity.

Complete the appropriate State exams for certification.

Complete either the UT Tyler clinical teaching application or the intern application
for certification.

Complete the online application for certification.

Submit digital fingerprints for a State and National criminal history background check.

Advanced/Professional Certifications

Professional certificates require a minimum of two years of teaching experience and
a Texas teaching certificate. Degree information can be found at the Graduate Programs site. Professional certificates offered at The University of Texas at Tyler are:

Educational Diagnostician

Principal

Superintendent

Reading Specialist (Grades EC-12)

Master Reading Teacher

School Counselor

To be eligible for certification, the candidates must:

Complete the minimum of a master's degree with no grade less than a "C" and a GPA
of at least 3.0.

Submit a service record verifying a minimum of two years teaching experience. (A Master
Reading Teacher requires three years teaching experience.)

Intern Certification

One-year intern certificates are available for eligible candidates prior to completion
of program. To qualify, you must meet the following criteria:

Must have a position for which the candidate is preparing and submit a copy of the
contract or a letter of intent-to-hire written on the school’s letterhead.

Candidates seeking an intern certificate for advanced certification must have permission
from the department for eligibility. The certification exam is not required for the
advanced intern certificate.

Candidates seeking an intern certificate for initial teacher certification must have
the minimum of a bachelor’s degree and have passed the content test.

The position must be in a TEA-accredited school in Texas

The position must be totally in the area and at the level of certification being sought.

Probationary Certification

One-year probationary certificates are available for eligible candidates prior to
completion of program. To qualify, you must meet the following criteria:

1. Probationary certificates for initial teacher candidates must have the minimum
of a bachelor's degree. The candidates must have passed both the content test and
the appropriate PPR.

Advanced probationary certificate candidates must have permission from the department
for eligibility. The candidates must have passed the certification exam for the certificate
being sought.

Must have a position for which the candidate is preparing and submit a copy of the
contract or a letter of intent-to-hire written on the school's letterhead.

The position must be in a TEA-accredited school in Texas

The position must be totally in the area and at the level of certification being sought.

One-year extensions are available for candidates who have not completed programs if
all testing requirements have been met.. No more than two extensions are allowed by
the Texas Education Agency.

Supplements

Supplements are specialized fields of study that attach to an individual's classroom
teaching certificate at the level of that certificate. Supplements are not stand-alone
certificates. Supplement information can be found at the Supplements site. Supplements offered at The University of Texas at Tyler are: